Running out of gas during class,what can i do to help me?

[jwmims]

I been doing MA for like 3 1/2 months now,love it.The problem is that i run out of gas during class.I am 48 years old,and having hard time keeping up with younger
people in class,as yet i have not started to spar,my instructor does not require sparring till i reach purple belt,i am now yellow belt and can spar if i like to.In my class you spar with everyone yellow to 2nd degree black belts.What do you people recommend to build up endurance for martial arts,I do Japaneese karate that
is very self defence oriented.Should i get a heavy bag and workout on it?Or should i start jogging?Anyone have any advice on what i should do?Cheers,
Thanks,
James

 

[Tgace]

Jogging is fine for a cardio base, but for MA fitness I'd research some of the workouts you find in places like Crossfit, Rosstraining.com, burpee based drills, weight training circuits (check out.... http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/high-intensity-circuit-routine/) etc.

 

[Carol]

Also Stay hydrated throughout the day, and try eating a lean protein snack (try a small can of tuna) about a half hour before class to help fuel your body.

 

[Dirty Dog]

If you're not running out of gas by the end of the class, you're not trying hard enough.

 

[Cyriacus]

If you're not running out of gas by the end of the class, you're not trying hard enough.

You beat me to it -- But ill say it anyway.
Being worn out by the end of class is good. Because if youre worn out, youre going to get into better shape. As more demands are put on you, youll find that the difficulty shoud/probably remain about the same, since your fitness should be increasing with it.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Depending on how much free time you have, you could consider getting insanity...thatll get you in shape real quick, or kill you trying
If you dont have time for insanity, or a cross fit workout, work as hard as you can in class, eventually you'll become fit and be able to do make it through class without running out of class (then kick it up a notch, till you're running out of breath again)

 

[Kalamazoo Ninja]

Try riding your bike or just walking an hour a day

 

[Sukerkin]

Or, unhelpfully {}, you can decide like I have that men of our age should not be getting all sweaty and out of breath in public - it's undignified . Try the Japanese Sword Arts instead; much better 'cool' factor :angel:.

 

[oftheherd1]

Are you having any chest pains, even mild ones? Do you get out of breath easily with other exercise? You might want to discuss this with your regular doctor, or a cardiologist.

On the other hand, you could just be a good MA who always tries to the max, and always looks for a new max.

 

[GaryR]

Do some type of other daily training. Cardio a few times a week (run, bike, or swim)-the latter two better on your joints. Also, do weights a few times a week. That will help significantly. Protein is essential, your body can process 25 mg or so every three hours. Of course check with your doctor regarding your regimen. I would find a good book on fitness, I used to trade martial arts instruction for personal training sessions, it helped a lot.

 

[rframe]

Run, jump rope, swim... basic cardio endurance takes time. I dont recommend biking unless you're going to wear a heart rate monitor and push into the right zones, few people push hard enough on a bike to make it very effective use of time. You should be going for 30-60 minutes per session.

On top of the aerobic sessions you need to work on some explosives to condition you for the bursts of energy, speed, and then active recovery you need to be effective during sparring. Work combinations on the heavy bag or BOB, do burpees, do kata at fight intensity.

Check out some of the martial arts conditioning programs like gsprushfit.com

When you actually get into sparring with others, you need to learn to fight from a relaxed state. Most everyone when they start will be very tense. This results in two major problems: 1) you'll be very very slow when tense 2) you'll wear yourself out just standing there

Also, make sure you're eating well and are well hydrated before sessions. If I eat garbage/restaurant food up to about 6 hours before training I feel a major difference in my energy levels and endurance.

 

[Arizona Angel]

I had little energy until I got my vit D levels up. No problems now.

 

[jwmims]

Thanks for the tuna advice,i had a small can of tuna about 45 min before class and i made it through class without much of a problem,I also bought me a jump rope and will be starting using it for cardio workout,maybe in the future i may get heavy bag to workout with.Thanks so much who put in there advice,you people are great!!!Cheers,
James

 

[FullPotentialMA]

When you say "running out of gas", what do you mean?
Tired? Out of breath?
If the latter, building cardiovascular endurance will help. Running, and specifically interval training, can make a huge difference.
If tired, take a look at your nutrition and training together. Are you fueling yourself with high quality, nutritious and minimally processed foods?
How is your sleep? Are you training too much?
The body will adapt to load, so long as we give it the proper impetus, input and rest.
Keep going!

 

[Balrog]

About a year ago, I started doing Warrior X-Fit in addition to my regular workouts. I cannot begin to tell you what a huge difference it has made in my endurance and stamina.

 

[Ol Man Woolenshirt]

I,, say you will need to work on your cardio. A fart into my sixies my stamina is good due to a lot of long distance biking and mountain climbing. I was told Ihad a condition with my heart. I figure 2 divorces screwed me up. I got an old heavy metal bike and started training for something. Watch my diet and lo and behold I started feeling stronger. Biked longer and further til I logged 1000 miles on it. My knees not much better but I hunged n there. Leg take downs and sweeps did a number too. Today I can still hang n there with the young ones,without really sweating or breathing like the race horses next to me on the mat. Try it.

 

[enthusiast]

Skip rope for at least fifteen minutes(stopping is okay, but you need to finish the 15minutes). It strengthened my cardio. If you think 15 is too much, try 10 or lower, your minutes will gradually increase.

 

[shihansmurf]

I'm a P90X fan as well as a weight training proponent. I can't recommend those highly enough to improve your perfomance in your karate.

As Carol pointed out hydration during the day is essential. The protein rich sack is a good start. I don't know how you feel about suppliments but I use C4 Extreme from cellucor for my pre-work out. It works really well. I would also highly recommend the P90X recovery drink but is a bit expensive. Whey protein and Gatorade will work just as well to take care of you afterwords.

Best of luck and remember that being wiped out is a good thing.
Mark

 

[DennisBreene]

How is your stamina relative to other students your age and experience. Or how does your instructor guage your stamina compared to other students he has trained in your age range. You may be right on par and only need to continue on with training. Perhaps with supplemantation such as described earlier in the thread. If you are significantly more winded than same aged peers with similar times in training, you should consider the possibility of a medical cause and be evaluated. Even without other symptoms like angina, cardiac disease is highly correlated with reduced exercise tolerance, as is asthma.

 

[MJS]

I been doing MA for like 3 1/2 months now,love it.The problem is that i run out of gas during class.I am 48 years old,and having hard time keeping up with younger
people in class,as yet i have not started to spar,my instructor does not require sparring till i reach purple belt,i am now yellow belt and can spar if i like to.In my class you spar with everyone yellow to 2nd degree black belts.What do you people recommend to build up endurance for martial arts,I do Japaneese karate that
is very self defence oriented.Should i get a heavy bag and workout on it?Or should i start jogging?Anyone have any advice on what i should do?Cheers,
Thanks,
James

After 20+yrs doing Kenpo, I thought I was in fairly good shape. So, when I left Kenpo and started training in Kyokushin, I was lucky to get half way thru a class! LOL! My advice to you, from similar experience, is to stick it out, go at your own pace, and don't worry about keeping up with the person next to you. Over time, it'll get easier for you. This August will be 2yrs for me at the Kyokushin dojo. Sure, now and then, especially in the advanced classes, I have to stop for a second, but then I'm right back in.

Any extra cardio that you can do outside of class will certainly be a big plus, but it seems to me, that if you want to get better in a certain area, you have to do whatever it is that you want to improve on.

Good luck!